Girl Meets Heartbreak
by actionman81
Summary: Riley needs advice on Lucas. Maya tries to help, but Riley needs advice from someone else.


"There is no greater aspiration than to have love in our lives, Mr. Matthews. Romeo knew it and died for it. Others know it and prepare salads. And those who don't know it will sit in detention for the rest of their lives." – George Feeny

December 28  
The bay window

Riley sat on the window seat, her head down, and stared at her sneakers  
Maya climbed through the window and immediately saw her best friend's expression  
"What's wrong, Riles?" she sat next to her  
"Everything" Riley twirled a jelly bean in her fingers, "What did I do wrong, Maya?"  
"Nothing, Peaches" Maya smiled, hoping to cheer Riley up. Usually, things worked the other way around.  
"Of course I did. If I hadn't done anything wrong, Lucas would still be my boyfriend" she pocketed the sweet.  
"Yeah, I heard about that" Maya's voice was quiet, "do you want to talk about it?"  
"No, I just—I just want to crawl into bed and go to sleep and never – I just want to sleep, Maya"  
"No" Maya forced a smile. Riley sighed. Maya dropped the smile, "I know it's hard"  
"You were right" Riley looked at her best friend, "letting people into your life is the worst thing to do"  
"Riles, you were the one who showed me that thinking like that wasn't the best way to deal with things. I mean, look at my Mom. She's got Shawn, and they're happy, and"  
"Happy" Riley's voice was monotone  
"I think we're going to get a visit from Morotia" Maya mumbled under her breath. This was more than she could handle. It was time to call in the big guns

Living Room

"Ok, Matthews" Maya burst into the room  
Auggie looked up from his comic book  
"Not you, the other one"  
"Don't look at me, doll" Ava studied her fingernails. They were covered in brightly colored paint  
Cory sat at the dining table, a plate of food in front of him, "What a pleasant surprise, Maya" he pasted a smile on his face. He looked terrified.  
"No time for pleasantries, Matthews. I need a lesson and I need it fast" Maya pushed the food away from him  
"It's about Riley, isn't it?"  
"I can't do it. We've been able to help each other out every time, and this time, this time I can't snap her out of it"  
"She's taking the breakup hard" Topanga spoke up  
"But we've been able to get each other through things before" Maya explained  
"You're growing up" Cory acknowledged, "things are different, and sometimes, they might be more difficult than you can predict"  
"Great" Maya was sarcastic, "So are you going to help me or not"  
"It's great that you want to help Riley" Topanga smiled warmly, "and you being there for her is probably all that can be done for now"  
"Why don't you come by later on" Cory suggested, "maybe she just needs some time with her thoughts"  
"Yeah" Maya sighed, "maybe"

Topanga's Café

Maya didn't go home. Home wouldn't help her with this dilemma.  
She sat on the couch. To her right were Farkle and Smackle. To her left was Zay. Lucas, understandably, wasn't around.  
Farkle spoke first, "We understand that it must hurt, Maya, but this is something that Riley has to deal with on her own"  
"After all, it is her life" Smackle agreed  
"But it's not her life" Maya practically shouted, "I mean, it is. It's not only her life, or just her life. This affects all of us"  
"What are you talking about?" Smackle didn't understand. Zay and Farkle nodded in agreement. This didn't make sense to them either.  
"When my parents split up, their friends did, too" Maya explained, "my parents knew a lot of other people, other couples, husbands and wives. Some of them had kids, others didn't, but one thing that kept them all talking to each other was that they were married, so they had that in common" she stopped but left something unsaid  
Everyone waited for her to finish.  
"Some of the couples stopped coming around, didn't they?" Zay ventured  
"Right" Maya nodded, "it was like my Mom was some sort of pariah, or I don't know, people picked sides"  
"That won't happen with us" Farkle reassured her  
"Won't it?" Maya questioned him, "Look around you. Do you see Lucas here? I don't" she turned to Zay, "You're his best friend. Don't you feel torn up over this, conflicted inside?"  
"To be honest, yeah" Zay shrugged, "but, Lucas hasn't really been talking to me, either, right now. He's like this, quiet, but he's thinking"  
"We're friends with Riley" Smackle smiled, "and we're friends with Lucas, and nothing in the foreseeable future should alter that"  
"I hope so" Maya sighed

The bay window

Cory and Topanga sat on the edge of Riley's bed. Riley, however, was practically face down, buried into her pillow.  
Cory spoke first, "Riley, I'll be honest. I never understood girls. It didn't happen until" he stopped, "You know, I still don't really understand girls"  
"Keep going, honey" Topanga forced a smile  
"I've known you from day one, and I wanted to protect you, to keep you safe, because you're my daughter" Cory went on, "but I couldn't. I had to let you out into the world so you could live"  
"What's the point? What's the point of going out there and meeting people and loving them when they're just going to leave one day" turned her head to the side so she could speak without getting off the bed  
"Riley" he sighed, "a long time ago, a very wise man told me that real strength came from being a family, because at one time, a man and a woman realized that they loved each other and pursued the unlimited potential of what my come from that love"  
Riley looked up at her father.  
"And here you are" Cory smiled at her  
Riley put her head back down into her pillow  
"I know it's hard. When your Mom and I – took a break" he faltered over the words, "we needed some time apart, so we could realize how much we wanted to spend time together"  
"So, being apart means that you want each other?" Riley looked confused  
"Both your father and I were young" Topanga explained, "and we both made many mistakes along the way, but at the end of the day, we respected each other. We're equals, and we genuinely care about each other"  
"But what does any of this have to do with Lucas and me?"  
"If Lucas cares about you, he'll come back, but you've got to give him time"  
"But he chose me" Riley sighed  
"I'm sure he did" Cory nodded. He had no way of knowing just how similar that decision making process had been, right down to the jelly beans.  
"Dad" Riley sat up in bed, "you said that Mr. Feeny taught you so many lessons"  
"Yeah" Cory agreed,  
"Did he teach you how to get over a broken heart?"  
Cory opened his mouth, but no words came forth

Topanga's Café

Farkle and Smackle were deep in a game of Catan, with Zay. Maya had gone back to the Matthews to try to change things, maybe even fix things.  
"No, you have to pick a card before you can roll the dice, and then you can move" Smackle instructed Zay  
Zay took a card, "You meet an ogre blocking your path" he read, "Well" he looked up, "I'd totally outsmart him with my quick wit" he took the dice and rolled it along the game board, "Hey, six"  
"Now you can ahead" Farkle explained, "wow, you're doing well at this game"  
"What game?" Lucas walked through the door  
"Oh, um, Catan" Zay used the shortened title of the game, "It's for – it's actually pretty good"  
"I never thought I'd see you playing a game like that" Lucas smiled good naturedly  
"You might enjoy it" Farkle invited him to sit down, "It's a lot like what some of your ancestors in the Old West might've done. In the game, players assume the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop holdings while trading and acquiring resources. Players are rewarded points as their settlements grow; the first to reach a set number of points, typically ten points, is the winner"  
"Great" Lucas grinned, "can I join in"  
"We already started this game" Smackle began, "but we can make an exception for you, cutie"  
Farkle frowned at her  
"What?" she looked confused

The bay window

"Riles, you can't keep being like this" Maya shook Riley's shoulders, but Riley just sank lower into her bed. "It's a beautiful day outside" Maya tried again  
"Is it?" Riley turned her head to speak. She lay on the bed still, "Now that Lucas wants nothing to do with me?"  
"Come on" Maya forced a smile, "You could use some vitamin D"  
Riley looked up at her best friend, "Since when do you know about that?"  
"I guess Matthews finally got to me" she grinned  
Maya took this chance of Riley's momentary interest to forge ahead, "Let's go down to the café. I'll get you some red gummy bears"  
"But we're going to the movies" Riley didn't make sense  
"Fine, we'll go to the movies" Maya sighed, "Something, anything to get you out of the house"  
Riley sat up, "Can I pick the movie?"  
"Sure, Riles"

Topanga's Café

"This is harder than I thought" Lucas scratched his head  
"Maybe we can take a break" Farkle suggested  
"Good idea" Zay agreed  
Farkle and Smackle got up to get something to drink, and Zay leaned toward Lucas, "Ok, we've been friends for a long time, right?"  
"Sure" Lucas nodded  
"So why did you go and mess up the best thing you had in what feels like forever?"  
"I don't know" Lucas sighed  
"Don't give me that" Zay frowned, "You looked happy, comfortable, with Riley. What changed"  
"I like her" he admitted, "I like her a lot, but"  
"Yeah?"  
"I want us to move forward with our relationship. I mean, I really, really like her"  
"And?"  
"She's not there yet, and I just don't know if I can keep waiting"  
"So you broke her heart instead"  
"What am I supposed to do, Zay? Wait for her to hear it from a little bird that I want us to do more than simply kissing?"  
"You know that Charlie will be sniffing around soon" Zay warned  
"Good, then he'll see how crazy she is, too" Lucas got up and went to the back of the shop. Zay followed him to try to talk some sense into his best friend.

Topanga's Café

Maya and Riley walked down the stairs to where the café was  
"This isn't the movies" Riley sighed  
"Very good" Maya sounded like a preschool teacher, "Can you tell me why we're here?"  
"Red gummy bears?"  
Maya smiled, "Sorry" she looked at her best friend, "You need to get out Riley, you need to spend time with people, your friends, and be somewhere outside of your room"  
"But my room is nice, and safe and"  
"And you can hide from the world. What would your Dad say?"  
"He'd probably lecture us on world history"  
"Definitely" Maya grinned and opened the door to the café

The scene played out like something from a teen movie, or maybe a parody of a teen movie. Lucas was talking to Zay, and then he heard Riley's voice, but Riley saw him first, even though his back was turned to her.  
They both stopped talking.  
Riley stared at Lucas. Rather, the back of his head.  
Lucas turned around and stared at Riley  
"Maya" Riley nudged her friend, "Did you know he would be here?" her eyes never left him  
"Well" Maya began. Her voice never finished the explanation  
Riley stared at her friend, "How could you?"  
"How could I what?" Maya turned to her, "Hope you two would get back together? Hope that maybe if I could help you, it would be like helping my parents?"  
"Maya" Riley's voice was soft, "Lucas and I aren't like your Mom and Dad"  
"No" Maya nodded, "You're not. You two really do love each other"  
"I don't know what to do here, but I don't want to see him right now" Riley stood her ground  
"Ok then, we don't have to" Maya took her hand and they walked out of the café.  
Lucas stood by and watched them leave without having spoken to him  
"Girls" he sighed  
"Yeah" Zay nodded, "Can't live with them, they will not go out with me"

Outside the café, Maya turned to her best friend, "Ok Riles, think hard. Your Dad taught us so much, but maybe he can't help you here. Who's the one person who taught him?"  
"My grandparents?"  
"Nope" Maya shook her head, "Try again"  
"Mr. Feeny!" Riley grinned  
"Come on, let's go see him"  
"In Philadelphia? That's too expensive to fly down there"  
"Who said anything about flying?" Maya pulled her bus pass from her jeans' pocket

Philadelphia

Four hours later, Maya and Riley exited the Greyhound bus that had left from the Port Authority bus terminal in New York  
"Why couldn't we just Skype or FaceTime him?" Riley sighed  
"Do you think anyone who taught your Dad would want to bother with something like that?"  
"Mr. Turner might" Riley guessed

A short city bus ride got the girls to the Mathews' house in suburban Philadelphia. They headed straight for the backyard. Riley hopped over the wooden fence, the one Cory had haphazardly painted some twenty plus years earlier, and rapped on the back door.  
"You know, you could have just gone to the front door" Maya laughed.  
The sound of a basketball hitting the wood planks of the back porch got her attention and she turned around. Joshua Matthews was dribbling a ball before shooting a basket  
"Uncle Boing" she grinned  
"Oh, hi Maya" he dropped the basketball and came over toward her  
"Hi Josh" she found herself smiling again, "What are you doing here?"  
"It's the weekend and I came back to help Dad put up some shelves"  
"Oh really?" her voice turned up the intonation  
"Well yeah. Morgan's new boyfriend was going to do it but at the last minute, he cancelled"  
Maya looked blankly at him  
"Morgan, my big sister"  
"You got an aunt?" Maya shouted over to Riley  
"That's what they tell me" Riley shouted back  
"And what do they tell you, Ms. Matthews?" George Feeny answered her  
Riley yelped, startled at him standing there, even though it was just what she'd hoped for.  
"There's no need for that" his voice softened, "Come on in and I'll make you some tea, and we can call your parents. Do they know that you're here?"  
"No" she was quiet

In the Matthews' backyard, Josh and Maya sat on the picnic table. Maya looked up at the trees. The treehouse had been torn down years ago, but neither of them had known about it to begin with.  
She looked at him, "How's college?"  
"Fine" he nodded and smiled  
"Made any friends?"  
"Sure, some"  
"Must be a great bunch of guys"  
"Look, Maya, I-" he began  
"No, it's ok" she stopped him, "I didn't expect for you to be pining over me, and then Zay said he'd go with me to the movies and sit next to me" she rambled to fill the time  
"Maya" he replied finally, when she'd finished, "I said I'm out there. You're out there" he smiled warmly, "Let's just see how things go. I can't make promises, and if Zay cares about you, that's a good thing"  
"Yeah, but, he's not – he's"  
"He's not me" he knew what she meant, "Let's take it as it comes" he started, "we're here together now" he took her hand, "and that feels pretty good" he squeezed her hand  
"It does" she smiled back  
"Come on, I bet you can't beat me at one on one" he left her hand and picked up the basketball  
Maya wasn't about to say no to a challenge, "Fine, you're on"

Inside the Feeny residence, Riley sat at the dining table. Mr. Feeny brought in a tray with a teapot, two cups and an assortment of cookies  
"I've notified your parents, and they seem satisfied that you're safe here. Your friend and you will stay with your grandparents if this goes into the night"  
Riley nodded silently  
He smiled, "The closest thing to this was when I shared drinks with your father"  
Riley raised her eyebrows  
"Apple juice" he frowned  
Riley picked up a cookie and put it down again  
"You've made an awful long trip. Something must be bothering you" he was genuinely concerned  
"My Dad says that families are here because men and women realized that they loved each other and pursued the unlimited potential of what may come from that love"  
"Yes, I remember that quite well" Feeny smiled warmly  
"But" she pulled apart a sandwich cookie and glanced into the recesses of it, "what do you do if that love goes away, and you can't fix it?"  
"Has something happened with your parents?" Feeny appeared worried  
"No, no" she looked up at him, "They're fine. It's just" she sighed, "I know this boy, and we'd been dating, and now, after the winter holidays, he said he doesn't want—I mean, he wants to take a break"  
"From seeing you?" Feeny asked for clarity  
"Yes" Riley nodded and scratched off the cream from the inside of the cookie with her fingernail  
"And why do you suppose that is?"  
"I don't know. We've been getting closer to each other, and I really like him, and I know he likes me. I feel like maybe he wants something else, or wants me more than – he wants more of me"  
"Every relationship has its highs and lows, and we can't always see or understand why" he began, "and please understand that your parents' relationship is not the yardstick to measure anyone by"  
"But they made it work" Riley reasoned  
"They worked at it" he corrected, "Young lady, I've known your parents for quite awhile, from the time when they were a bit younger than you are now. Do you honestly believe that your father was always smitten by your mother?"  
"Well" Riley searched for an answer  
"It is very simple to say that young men want only one thing in life, or one type of young lady. Your father wanted something else"  
"Uncle Shawn?"  
Feeny laughed, "Perhaps" he leaned forward, "He wanted someone who was on the same, shall we say, level as himself. He wanted an equal" he looked at her, "if your young man can't see that, then you shouldn't give him anymore of your time" he leaned back in his chair, "and besides, you're in high school. You should be concerned with your education and simply being friends. What is your teacher teaching you anyway?"  
"Pretty much everything" Riley smiled lazily

In the backyard, the basketball game was continuing  
Maya let the ball fly from her fingers. It spun around the basket and fell out  
"Here, try this" Josh handed her back the ball and stepped behind her, "Hold it in your hands" he guided his hands onto her wrists, and moved closer to her, his chest against her back, their arms parallel to each other, touching. "Arc the ball up like this" he brought her arms up, "and aim where you want it to go" the ball left her fingers, arced lower, and sailed under the metal rim of the hoop.  
"Sure, just like that" she craned her head around so she could see his face  
"Something like that" he hugged her from behind  
"Maybe we can practice a little more"  
"I'd like that" he smiled  
Maya pulled away and dribbled the ball slowly. Josh headed into the house, "I'm getting a soda. Do you want one?"  
"Sure" she held up the ball  
Josh went in. Maya took a one handed shot, letting the ball spin out of her hand. It arced high and fell straight through the basket  
"Yeah, I could use some practice" she grinned

Inside Feeny's house, Riley sat next to Mr. Feeny, at the dining table. The tea had grown cold and the cookies lay in disarray, not so much from having been eaten but rather from Riley's attempts at removing the filling from each cookie and amassing a miniature mountain of filling on the side of her teacup's saucer.  
"And then," Riley continued, "he asked if I would only talk to other people a little, and to him, a lot"  
"I see, and you were alright with this agreement"  
"Sure, he was being nice and asking, and we talked about sandwiches and drinks, and cake" she sighed, "Cake!"  
"You're sixteen" Mr. Feeny explained, "You have your life ahead of you. There will be many young men in your life"  
"My parents didn't have that problem"  
"I suppose Cory and Topanga Matthews are a tough act to follow" he picked up the tray of items, "but I'm sure they won't want you spending time on only one boy, especially when you seem so concerned about what he's said and done, as am I"

In the backyard, Maya and Josh were sitting on the picnic bench, drinking their sodas when Riley walked out of the other house with Mr. Feeny  
"Take care, and have your father call me when you return"  
"I'm sure Dad has your number on speed dial"  
"Yes, I'm sure he must" Feeny mulled over the thought  
"So?" Maya  
"Dad was right" Riley smiled at her best friend, "Mom was, too. Mr. Feeny really is a great teacher"  
"I'm glad he could help you, Riles" Maya stood up, "but we've got a bus to catch"  
"Heading back to New York?" Josh stood up as well, "I can give you girls a lift"  
Maya raised an eyebrow  
"I've got to get back to college, and it would be nice to see everyone" he took Maya's empty soda can from her, "besides, it's my roommate's car. I'm sure he wants it back by now"

Topanga's Café

"So, how did you tell her?" Zay sat next to Lucas on the couch in the café  
"Remember the Secret Santa?" Lucas began, "I wrote her a letter"  
"Even I know that was a bad idea"  
"I guess it was" Lucas sighed, "but I didn't know what else to do"  
"We're your friends" Farkle sat down. Smackle sat next to him  
"Right" she agreed, "we won't pick sides"  
"Pick sides?" Lucas frowned, not understanding  
Before Smackle could continue, Riley and Maya walked into the café.  
"Lucas" Riley began. She and Maya stood behind the couch  
Lucas shifted over, allowing the girls place to sit down  
"You know, I'm thirsty" Zay got up  
"Me too" Farkle agreed and stood  
"I'm pretty good right now" Smackle smiled. Then the realization hit her, "Oh, right, I too, will have a drink" the three of them walked towards the cashier's counter  
"Are you going to be ok, Riles?" Maya asked her best friend  
"I'll be fine" Riley nodded. Maya joined the others by the counter  
"Riley, I" Lucas began  
Riley stopped him, "I like you, Lucas. I always did, from the moment we met on the subway. We were so similar, and we got along really well, and I like having you as part of my life" she held her hands, wringing her fingers together, "I don't want that to change"  
"Sure, neither do I" he sounded genuine  
"But maybe, maybe we're not that similar, and maybe, as we get older, we want different things" she paused, looking for the right words  
"I shouldn't have written that letter like that. You deserved a real gift"  
"You already gave me a gift" she looked up at him, "Our friendship"  
Lucas swallowed  
Riley continued, "I learned that it's ok to want different things, and maybe, two people's paths don't move together, or even parallel like a train tracks', but sometimes they move away from each other, but if you really mean something to them, and they mean something to you, you're not really alone. They're there"  
"Riley, I didn't mean to" he began  
"I know you didn't. You were right. We want different things. I'll be right here, Lucas, and you'll be where you are. We're not really alone"  
She slipped her hand into her pocket, took out something and pressed it into his hand. "We're friends, Lucas. That won't change" she smiled  
Maya appeared next to her, as if she knew by telepathy, and they left the café.  
Zay walked up to Lucas, "Are you ok?" he looked at Lucas's closed hand, "What did she give you?"  
Lucas opened his palm. In it was a jelly bean. The jelly bean. He didn't have to say anything. It was clear what the gesture meant.


End file.
